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THE   GUATEMALA   EARTHQUAKE   OF   DECEMBER,  1917 
AND  JANUARY,   1918 


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REPRINTED  FROM 

THE   GEOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 

Vol.  V,  No.  6  (June,   1918) 


AMERICAN  GEOGRAPHICAL  SOCIETY 

BROADWAY   AT   i56th  STREET 
NEW  YORK 


Bancroft  Library 

[REPRINTED  PROM  The  Geographical  Review,  VOL.  V,  No.  6.  JUNE,  1918.] 


THE  GUATEMALA  EARTHQUAKE  OF  DECEMBER,  1917, 
AND  JANUARY,  1918 

In  December,  1917,  and  January,  1918,  the  city  of  Guatemala  was 
practically  destroyed  by  earthquakes.  The  following  is  the  account  of  a 
prominent  resident  of  that  city,  as  given  to  Professor  Marshall  H.  Saville 
of  the  Museum  of  the  American  Indian,  Heye  Foundation,  New  York.  At 
the  end  Professor  Saville  continues  the  narrative  and  has  added  a  few 
words  of  comment.  For  further  information  on  Guatemalan  earthquakes 
and  their  relation  to  the  seismic  activity  of  Central  America  see  the  works 
cited  below.1 


Two  years  ago,  during  the  months  of  December  and  January,  the  city 
of  Guatemala  had  been  shaken  by  a  series  of  severe  earthquakes,  lasting 
seven  or  eight  weeks,  and  people  by  the  thousands  spent  the  nights  in  their 
courtyards  or  in  the  public  parks  and  squares.  These  shocks,  however, 
passed  off  without  doing  any  considerable  damage  to  the  city,  and  this  con- 
firmed the  Guatemalans  in  an  ancient  belief  that  their  city,  being  almost 
entirely  surrounded  by  deep  ravines,  was  effectually  protected  against 
destructive  earthquakes.  A  hundred  and  forty-five  years  ago  the  location 
of  the  city  was  carefully  selected  under  the  influence  of  this  theory,  and 
during  all  these  years  it  had  never  been  seriously  damaged,  while  many 
other  large  cities  in  all  parts  of  Central  America  were  destroyed  one  after 
another.  This  unfortunate  theory  was  also  the  reason  why  no  thought 
whatever  was  given  to  earthquakes  in  our  system  of  building.  Only  recently 
have  a  few  concrete  buildings  and  a  few  frame  houses  been  erected  by  far- 

i S.  G.  Morley :  The  Guatemala  Earthquake  [of  1917-18],  Amer.  Museum  Journ.,  Vol.  18. 1918,  pp.  200-210. 

— :  The  Guatemala  Earthquake  [of  1917-18],  Pan-American  Mag.,  Vol.  26, 1917-18.  pp.  305-317. 
(Crichton  Mitchell):  Seismic  Disturbances  Connected  With  the  Guatemala  Earthquake,  Nature,  Feb. 

28.  1918.  pp.  514-515. 
Tempest  Anderson :  The  Volcanoes  of  Guatemala,  Geogr.  Journ.,  Vol.  31,  1908,  pp.  473-489,  with  map, 

1:500.000. 
Gustav  Eisen:  The  Earthquake  and  Volcanic  Eruption  in  Guatemala  in  1902,  Bull.  Amer.  Geogr.  Soc., 

Vol.  35.  1903.  pp.  325-352. 

F.  de  Montessus  de  Ballore:  Temblores  y  erupciones  volcanicos  en  Centre-America,  246  pp.,  San  Sal- 
vador, 1884  (French  version,  Dijon.  1888). 
Idem:   Les  tremblements  de  terre:  Geographic  sSismologique,  Paris.  1906,  Chapter  21.  Section  2: 

Le  Centre-Am6rique. 
Karl  Sapper:  Die  mittelamerikanischen  Vulkane,  173  pp.,  Erganzungsheft  zu  Petermanns  Mitt.  No.  178. 

Gotha,  1913. 
Idem:  Die  geographische  Bedeutung  der  mittelamerikanischen  Vulkane,  Zeitschr.  Gesell.fiir  Erdkunde 

zu  Berlin,  1902,  pp.  512-536. 

Idem:  In  den  Vulcangebieten  Mittelamerikas  und  Westindiens,  334  pp.,  Nagele,  Stuttgart.  1905. 
Idem:  Ergebnisse  seiner  Reisen  in  Mittelamerika,  Verhandl.  Gesell.fiir  Erdkunde zu  Berlin,  Vol.  27, 1900, 

pp.  417-426.  with  map  of  tectonic  lines  of  Central  America,  1:5,000,000. 
Idem:  Grundziige  des  Gebirgsbaus  von  Mittelamerika,  Kept.  8th  Internatl.  Geogr.  Congr.  Held  in  the  U.S. 

im,  Washington,  1905,  pp.  230-238.  with  map  of  tectonic  lines  of  Central  America.  1:5,000,000. 

459 
4- -7  0 


PlO.  1. 


Fin 


FIG.  1— Ruins  of  the  churrh  on  the  Terro  del  Carmen,  the  oldest  church  in  the  city. 
FIG.  2- Ruins  of  the  church  of  Santa  Teresa. 

460 


Fia.  4. 


FIG.  3— Ruins  of  the  Military  Academy. 
FIG.  4— Interior  of  a  ruined  church. 
461 


462  THE    GEOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 

seeing  persons.  The  rest  of  the  city  is  built  on  shallow  foundations,  with 
weak  walls  of  red  brick  or  sun-dried  mud,  and  heavy  tile  roofs,  whose 
unsightliness  was  hidden  by  exceedingly  heavy  over- roof  walls  and  cornices. 
So  when  a  real  earthquake  caught  us  we  were  in  no  condition  to  resist  it, 
and  our  childish  theory  was  thrown  to  the  ground  together  with  our  houses. 
The  present  series  of  earthquakes  began  on  November  17,  1917,  with 
great  severity,  and  kept  on  for  thn-<>  \\vrks,  making  small  cracks  in  many 
walls  and  knocking  down  some  top-heavy  cornices.  Then  there  was  a  lull 
till  Christmas  Eve.  On  that  evening  there  was  a  severe  shock,  followed  by 
several  minor  ones,  all,  however,  of  the  kind  to  which  we  had  been  accus- 
tomed for  generations.  The  givat  and  unprecedented  disaster  was  reserved 
for  Christmas  Day. 

TMK  CHRISTMAS  SHOCK 

At  about  10.35  on  Christmas  night  the  town  was  aroused  by  a  shock 
such  as  had  never  struck  it  before.  The  earth  rocked  like  the  sea  for  about 
a  minute.  The  falling  of  furniture,  the  crackling  of  ceilings  and  roofs, 
and  the  swaying  of  walls  were  stupefying.  Everyone  immediately  sought 
shelter  in  the  streets  though  the  cold  was  piercing.  The  electric  lights 
were  soon  extinguished,  but  in  the  clear  light  of  the  full  moon  one  could 
see  the  walls  cracking  and  toppling,  and  the  tiles  thrown  about  in  confusion 
on  the  roofs.  The  crowds  stood  about  in  their  night  clothes  looking  on  in 
terror  and  helpless  despair  at  the  ruin  of  their  homes  and  recounting  their 
experiences.  The  earth  trembled  every  few  minutes,  though  less  violently 
for  a  time ;  but  about  half  an  hour  after  the  first  great  shock  there  followed 
another  of  equal  duration  and  even  greater  violence.  Houses  swayed  to 
and  fro  before  our  eyes,  till  the  walls  that  had  been  cracked  or  shaken 
out  of  plumb  came  down  with  a  crash,  followed  by  ceilings  and  roofs.  For 
a  few  brief  seconds  the  rumbling  of  falling  houses  was  mingled  with  the 
underground  roarings  of  the  earth  and  the  suppressed  moans  and  loud 
prayers  of  the  women  for  mercy.  Then  all  was  still  once  more.  The  angel 
of  destruction  passed  on,  for  his  work  was  done,  completely  and  thoroughly 
done,  and  in  his  wake  lay  the  scattered  ruins  of  the  proud  "City  of 
Santiago  of  the  Cavaliers  of  Guatemala."  But  the  earth  had  not  yet 
righted  itself,  and  the  trembling  kept  up  with  slight  interruptions  till 
daybreak.  The  crowds  either  stood  all  night  stupefied  before  their  houses 
or  moved  down  the  middle  of  the  streets  towards  the  open  squares  to  await 
in  terror  what  might  still  be  in  store  for  them.  When  the  dawn  came  the 
whole  awful  scene  of  destruction  was  laid  bare. 

The  high  massive  facade  of  Saint  Francis  Church  was  rent  in  every 
direction,  and  great  blocks  of  masonry  lay  scattered  about.  The  roof  of 
Saint  Claire's  Church  had  fallen  in  from  altar  to  portal  and  burst  open 
the  heavy  door.  The  tall  luted  cupola  of  the  Church  of  the  Recollection, 
a  marvel  of  grace  and  beauty,  had  fallen  into  the  nave.  The  great  yellow 


GUATEMALA    EARTHQUAKE    OF    1917-18  463 

glazed  cupola  of  the  Cathedral  fell  at  the  second  shock  with  a  terrific  noise. 
Towers,  belfries,  and  facades  of  churches  in  all  parts  of  the  city  were  either 
thrown  down  or  split  wide  open,  and  left  standing  at  all  angles  on  the 
thick  lower  walls.  The  post  office  was  smashed  to  pieces,  and  its  wreckage 
filled  the  street.  One  entire  wall  of  the  railroad  station  had  fallen  out,  and 
the  clock  tower  was  knocked  down.  The  British  Legation  and  the  Custom- 
house were  heaps  of  ruins.  As  for  the  dwelling  houses,  on  all  sides  their 
outer  walls  were  thrown  down  into  the  street,  their  roofs  fallen  in  on 
gaping  bedrooms  and  sitting  rooms,  their  rafters  and  tiles  piled  on  top  of 
beds  and  tables,  while  smashed  clocks,  mirrors,  and  pictures  littered  the 
ground  or  hung  awry  upon  the  walls. 

On  December  26,  when  the  violence  of  the  tremblings  had  partly  sub- 
sided, people  began  to  creep  back  into  their  homes  to  rescue  some  of  their 
belongings,  principally  bedding  and  clothing.  It  was  then  found  that 
many  houses  which  seemed  uninjured  from  the  outside  were  dangerously 
cracked  within,  and  most  of  those  left  standing  were  so  badly  damaged  that 
they  would  have  to  be  torn  down. 

But  we  were  to  be  spared  that  trouble ;  for  slight  shocks  kept  up  during 
the  whole  of  the  26th,  and  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  27th  a 
third  powerful  shock  aroused  the  slumbering  people,  and  many  more 
houses  were  heard  to  fall.  Also  at  intervals  many  walls  that  were  out  of 
plumb  fell  over  of  their  own  weight. 

THE  SHOCK  OF  DECEMBER  28  g^^fQ 

On  the  28th  at  half-past  two  in  the  afternoon  a  long  and  terrible  shock 
overtook  us.  This  was  the  first  mighty  and  destructive  shock  that  happened 
during  daylight,  and  many  women  fainted  with  terror.  It  was  on  this 
occasion  that  Dr.  Manuel  Del  Valle,  riding  out  on  a  Red  Cross  errand, 
was  caught  by  a  falling  house  and  crushed  to  death  together  with  his 
horse. 

Then  followed  a  period  of  comparative  respite,  and  people  began  to 
collect  their  senses.  They  soon  got  out  their  beds  into  the  streets,  set  up 
their  tables  and  bureaus  around  them,  and  covered  the  whole  with  carpets 
or  any  kind  of  cloth  to  shelter  themselves  during  the  night.  They  began 
putting  up  shacks  of  every  nondescript  shape  in  the  parks  and  open 
squares.  Probably  there  were  not  a  dozen  families  that  still  dared  to  live 
in  their  shattered  houses.  In  every  public  square  and  on  the  plains  around 
the  town  sprang  up  villages  of  gypsy-like  huts.  They  were  crowded  to- 
gether; built  of  carts  and  carriages,  pieces  of  furniture,  and  broken  doors 
and  windows;  and  covered  with  galvanized  iron,  helped  out  with  blankets, 
flags,  tablecloths,  carpets,  and  sacking.  While  food  at  first  was  not  exactly 
abundant,  there  was  no  famine  or  even  actual  want.  The  government  saw 
to  it  that  the  people  were  well  supplied  with  meat  at  low  prices.  Meat, 
maize  cakes,  and  coffee  were  our  principal  diet  in  these  days;  and  as  soon 


464 


THE    GEOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


as  the  bakers  could  get  to  work  again  bread  made  its  appearance,  though 
it  was  bad  and  dear.  New  Year's  Day  came  and  went,  and  nobody  thought 
of  wishing  his  neighbor  a  Happy  New  Year  except  with  a  sarcastic  laugh. 

THE  SHOCK  OP  JANUARY  3 

During  all  those  days  the  earthquakes  never  ceased.    At  intervals  of  an 
hour  or  so  they  reminded  us  that  all  was  not  yet  well;  but,  as  our  lives  now 


Pio.  R— Ruined  freight  cars  in  front  of  customs  house  sheds.    Of  the  original  sheds  only  the  walls  are 
standing ;  the  roof  and  sides  were  put  up  after  the  earthquake. 

seemed  safe  and  our  property  was  already  destroyed,  we  had  become  quite 
indifferent  and  hardly  did  more  than  look  around  us  at  each  new  tremor. 
But  we  were  soon  awakened  from  our  indifference.  On  the  night  of 
January  3  came  the  terror  of  terrors,  the  most  pitiless  and  awful  blow 
that  had  yet  struck  this  poor  shattered  city.  At  a  quarter  to  eleven  there 
was  a  loud  subterranean  growl,  and  the  earth  seemed  to  have  been  struck 
a  great  blow  that  sent  it  up,  and  then  let  it  fall  down  with  a  thud,  and  then 
sent  it  swinging  and  shivering  in  swift  jerks  which  kept  on  and  on  and 
would  not  stop,  while  the  underground  roarings  continued  till  one's  mind 
was  so  stunned  and  confused  that  it  seemed  as  if  the  world  were  crumbling 
to  pieces.  This  must  have  lasted  a  minute  and  a  half."  No  one  now  looked 
up  to  say  unconcernedly  "There's  another"  or  to  make  flippant  remarks. 
The  helpless  sufferers  sat  up  on  the  ground  where  they  had  been  sleeping, 
firmly  propping  themselves  with  their  arms  for  support,  and  no  words  but 
"Oh,  Oh.  Oh"  were  anywhere  heard.  When  the  shock  had  passed  away 
eveiyone  felt  like  crying  aloud  at  the  cruelty  and  brutality  of  it  all,  but 
while  it  lasted  one's  only  feeling  was  of  groveling  terror. 

8  According  to  a  credible  informant  the  shock  lasted  eleven  minutes ! 


GUATEMALA    EARTHQUAKE    OF    1917-18 


465 


THE  DESTRUCTION  WROUGHT 

In  the  morning  it  was  seen  that  the  two  massive  towers  of  the  Cathedral 
had  been  thrown  down,  one  to  the  north  on  the  Archbishop's  residence, 
and  the  other  to  the  south  on  top  of  the  bishopric  school.  This  seems  to 
show  that  the  oscillation  was  north  and  south.  The  beautiful  Church  of 
the  Recollection  was  leveled  to  the  ground,  not  a  stone  left  upon  stone. 
Even  thick  brick  walls  of  the  penitentiary  were  laid  low;  the  fortress  of 


FIG.  6— The  plaxa  in  front  of  the  Cathedral  showing  shacks,  some  of  them  housing  government  depart- 
ments, erected  after  the  earthquake. 

San  Jose,  overlooking  and  dominating  the  city,  could  hardly  be  made  out, 
for  it  was  flat  with  the  ground.  The  railroad  station  had  been  tumbled 
into  one  huge  heap  of  wreckage.  The  entrance  into  the  city  for  those  who 
came  by  train  will  never  fade  from  their  minds.  After  leaving  the  train 
and  the  ruins  of  the  station,  one  emerged  upon  a  street  buried  with  debris 
of  fallen  houses  lying  deep  in  dust,  and  up  and  down  the  street  as  far  as 
eye  could  reach  not  a  house  was  left  standing.  The  center  of  the  town 
suffered  least,  There,  some  ancient,  low,  and  very  solid  brick  houses  were 
apparently  uninjured;  but  probably  not  five  out  of  a  hundred  houses  in 
the  city  can  be  repaired  and  made  habitable  again. 

RELIEF  MEASURES 

No  official  figures  of  the  loss  of  life  have  been  issued ;  but  it  is  believed 
that  less  than  fifty  persons  perished.3  The  first  severe  shock  gave  sufficient 
time  to  escape  from  the  houses,  and  after  that  everyone  camped  out  in  the 
open ;  but  some  who  ventured  back  into  their  houses  to  get  out  bedding  and 

3  A  later  and  what  is  believed  to  be  more  accurate  estimate  places  the  total  number  of  dead  as  the 
result  of  the  various  shocks  at  six  hundred.— M.  H.  S. 


466  THE    GEOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 

other  effects  were  caught  and  killed  in  the  second  shock  of  Christmas 
night 

The  distress  has  IMVII  much  relieved  by  emigration  to  the  country. 
Nearly  all  the  planters  and  all  others  who  have  country  places  have  sent 
away  their  families,  and  hundreds  of  these  kindhearted  people  have  sent 
..ut  invitations  indiscriminately  to  their  city  acquaintances  to  come  out  and 
join  them  in  the  country. 

The  six  city  hanks  and  the  United  Fruit  Company  have  built  wooden 
otlices  in  the  main  square.  All  bank  credits  have  been  suspended,  and  the 
hanks  h;,ve  limited  payments  to  each  depositor  to  $25  a  week.  These 
measures  have  greatly  increased  the  distress,  for  now  no  one  has  the  where- 
withal to  pay  his  servants  or  employees.4  The  bank  safes  are  supposed  to 
be  >-mpty.  for  the  banks  have  loaned  out  not  only  the  paper  bills  they  were 
authori/ed  to  issue,  but  almost  all  of  their  deposits.  They  have  now  asked 
the  government  for  authority  to  issue  the  equivalent  of  two  million  dollars 
American  gold  in  Guatemalan  paper,  so  as  to  pay  depositors  and  resume 
credits. 

TIIF>  PROBLEM  OP  REBUILDING  THE  CITY 

Ami  now  the  problem  that  confronts  us  is  the  clearing  away  of  the  old 
town  and  the  building  of  the  new.  This  is  such  a  large  and  many-sided 
question  and  has  been  thrust  upon  us  so  suddenly  that  no  one  is  ready  with 
a  complete  answer.  In  the  first  place  where  shall  we  get  the  means  to 
rebuild  .'  When  San  Francisco  was  burned  down,  she  turned  to  the  fire 
insurance  companies  for  relief;  but  there  is  no  insurance  against  earth- 
quakes. At  present  our  only  hope  is  in  the  banks;  but  it  is  clear  that  they 
would  have  to  loan  almost  the  full  value  of  the  house  in  order  to  rebuild 
it.  and  would  any  bank  be  willing  to  do  this? 

Then  again  our  whole  system  of  building  must  be  altered.  It  would  be 
the  height  of  folly  to  rebuild  the  city  of  brick  and  adobe  in  this  land  of 
earthquakes.  On  this  all  are  agreed.  With  the  introduction  of  frame 
buildings,  which  have  shown  themselves  to  be  earthquake-proof,  the  streets 
should  be  widened,  the  houses  built  farther  apart,  a  reformed  and  modern 
water  system  put  iii.  and  efficient  fire  protection  established.  Until  we  are 
prepared  to  do  all  this  the  reconstruction  of  the  city  should  not  be  begun. 
Halfway  measures  would  be  unavailing  and  dangerous. 

Fortunately  for  (iuatemala  the  source  of  her  wealth  is  not  in  the  city. 
The  city  has  never  produced  anything  worth  mentioning  and  has  never 
been  more  than  a  trading  place  for  the  middleman  and  speculator  and  a 
lounging  place  for  the  idle  and  ignorant  rich.  The  country's  wealth  lies 
in  her  ever-green  pastures  with  their  tens  of  thousands  of  head  of  cattle; 
her  magnificent  plantations  of  coffee  and  sugar;  her  fertile  fields  of  grain; 
her  orchards  of  tropical  fruit;  and  her  great  forests  of  cedar,  mahogany, 

•  This  condition  was  modified  later,  and  banks  allowed  depositors  to  withdraw  any  sums  required. 


GUATEMALA    EARTHQUAKE    OF    1917-18  467 

and  other  precious  timber.  All  this  beautiful  and  bountiful  inheritance 
is  left  to  her  still— and  from  it  must  come  in  the  end  the  means  to  recon- 
struct a  capital  worthy  of  this  wonderful  land. 

Here  we  sit  beside  our  little  shacks  in  the  starlight  with  high  hopes  and 
great  ambition,  dreaming  of  our  departed  splendor  and  how  to  restore  it. 
We  intend  to  restore  it,  though  it  may  take  Guatemala  City  a  generation 
of  patient  industry  and  economy  to  regain  her  past  glory.  Even  then  all 
about  the  newly  risen  town  there  will  always  stand  the  massive  ruins  of 
the  great  churches,  like  giants  among  pygmies,  to  remind  our  sons  of  the 
terrible  Christmas  night  of  1917. 


From  here  on  the  narrative  is  continued  by  Professor  Saville. 

THE  SHOCK  OF  JANUARY  24 

The  sixth  great  shock  came  with  the  full  moon  on  the  evening  of  Jan- 
uary 24.  The  writer  was  traveling  from  Quirigua  to  Guatemala  by  train, 
which  had  been  delayed  near  Agua  Caliente  by  a  slight  slide  in  one  of  the 
numerous  cuts.  Hence  the  train  which  should  have  arrived  in  the  city  at 
6.80  P.M.  was  more  than  one  hour  behind  time.  At  7.25  precisely,  when 
we  were  about  five  miles  out  and  were  just  emerging  from  a  deep  cut,  a 
stone  about  the  size  of  a  baseball  came  rolling  down  the  side  and  struck 
the  sill  of  the  window  by  which  I  was  seated.  The  next  instant  a  deep 
roaring  was  heard,  accompanied  by  a  terrific  jolt  against  the  south  side 
of  the  train.  This  was  immediately  followed  by  a  lifting  shock  on  the 
other  side.  The  train  was  going  slowly,  perhaps  four  miles  an  hour,  and 
the  engineer  brought  it  to  a  stop  within  twenty  feet.  My  first  impression, 
due  to  the  stone  which  had  fallen,  was  that  the  side  of  the  cut  had  caved  in 
and  that  enormous  stones  had  been  thrown  under  and  against  the  train. 
AY  hen  we  found,  however,  that  the  train  had  not  been  struck,  we  at  once 
understood  what  had  happened.  Soon  we  began  to  feel  tremors  and 
quiverings  of  the  earth,  and  from  this  time  until  4.30  A.M.  the  earth  was 
never  quiet.  From  time  to  time  we  experienced  sharp  shocks,  and  were 
afterward  told  that  forty-three  distinct  earthquakes  had  taken  place.  The 
train  proceeded  about  a  mile  farther,  stopping  three  times  to  have  small 
slides  in  the  cuts  cleaned  out  before  going  through.  We  came  finally  to 
the  last  and  deepest  cut  about  four  miles  outside  the  city.  This  we  found 
to  be  choked  up  for  some  distance;  it  was  not  cleared  for  a  week,  as  the 
walls  had  been  so  shaken  that  as  fast  as  it  was  cleared  it  again  filled  up.  We 
spent  the  night  on  the  train,  and  walked  into  town  the  next  morning.  In 
many  places  the  road  was  partially  blocked  by  debris  which  had  fallen 
along  the  sides,  especially  where  the  road  descended  into  the  barranca  just 
before  entering  the  city.  In  the  four  miles  of  road  I  counted  two  hundred 
cracks  running  approximately  from  south  to  north,  although  there  were  a 


468  THE    GEOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 

few  running  at  right  angles.  This  direction  of  the  cracks  may  be  signifi- 
cant, as  they  proceed  from  the  general  direction  of  the  quiescent  volcano 
Pacaya.  That  the  movement  comes  from  this  region,  and  not  from  north 
to  south,  was  clearly  demonstrated  by  one  crack  which  I  observed  in  the 
middle  of  the  road  with  four  branches  radiating  towards  the  north  for  a 
short  distance. 

Many  persons  affirm  that  this  shock  or  series  of  shocks  was  the  worst 
shaking  which  the  city  experienced.  Others  award  the  palm  to  the  shock 
of  January  3.  At  this  time  all  sorts  of  movements  were  noted.  One  of  the 
railroad  officials  was  at  his  desk  and  in  reaching  for  the  lamp  noticed  that 
his  flat-bottomed  inkstand  had  jumped  into  the  air  and  turned  completely 
over,  coming  to  rest  bottom  side  up.  As  the  city  had  been  almost  entirely 
demolished  by  the  previous  quakes,  no  additional  damage  was  done  by  this 
one.  On  the  contrary  the  people  were  rather  aided  in  their  work  by 
the  falling  of  half-ruined  walls  and  the  general  settling  of  partly  ruined 
buildings. 

Up  to  the  time  of  my  departure  from  the  country,  about  February  20, 
slight  shocks  were  of  daily  occurrence.  As  the  first  and  sixth  great  shakes 
had  come  with  the  full  of  the  moon,  people  were  apprehensive  about  what 
would  happen  when  the  full  moon  again  came  round.  Cable  reports  of 
February  26  state  that  telegraphic  communication  was  interrupted  at  this 
time  by  earthquake  shocks  of  an  extremely  violent  character. 

PRESENT  CONDITIONS  AND  NEEDS 

Before  this  great  calamity  the  city  of  Guatemala  boasted  a  population 
of  about  125,000.  In  February  it  was  estimated  that  about  40,000  people 
had  left  the  city.  Some  were  slowly  drifting  back ;  but  at  that  time  people 
were  still  dazed,  and  the  serious  work  of  cleaning  up  had  hardly  begun. 
It  is  clearly  evident  that  the  inhabitants  of  this  once  beautiful  city  can 
never  hope  to  rebuild  it  along  the  lines  of  the  old  city.  Either  concrete 
structures  must  be  erected,  which  seems  out  of  the  question  because  of  the 
great  expense  involved,  or  a  city  of  wooden  houses  with  corrugated  iron 
roofs  must  spring  up.  This  latter  plan  seems  to  be  the  most  feasible  one. 
With  a  single  exception5  every  house  not  only  in  the  city  but  for  a  radius 
of  perhaps  twenty  miles  was  damaged.  In  the  city  itself  perhaps  twenty 
houses  may  be  repaired.  The  debris  of  the  rest  must  be  removed  and 
dumped  into  the  barrancas,  the  great  ravines  which  encircle  the  town.  This 
in  itself  is  something  of  a  task,  as  it  is  estimated  that  more  than  two 
million  cubic  yards  of  stone  and  earth  must  be  run  out  by  portable  rail- 
roads. Such  a  work  cannot  be  accomplished  in  less  time  than  eight  or 
ten  months.  Meanwhile  the  people  are  living  in  shacks  in  the  public 
parks  and  the  plains  outside  of  the  city.  The  United  States  Government 


5  The  exception  noted  is  a  house  of  reinforced  concrete  which  was  in  process  of  construction  and  was 
absolutely  undamaged. 


GUATEMALA    EARTHQUAKE    OF    1917-18  469 

after  the  first  news  of  the  disaster  sent  4,000  tents,  which  have  been  put 
up  in  various  parts  of  the  suburbs,  and  the  Red  Cross  is  doing  valiant 
work.  The  rainy  season  is  at  hand,  and  pestilence  will  surely  break  out 
with  the  coming  of  the  long  period  of  rains.  The  work  of  removing  the 
debris  will  then  be  much  retarded,  as,  instead  of  loose  earth,  mud  will  have 
to  be  transported.  Altogether  in  this  unfortunate  place  conditions  exist 
akin  tp  those  in  the  devastated  portions  of  France;  but  in  Guatemala 
nature,  not  man,  is  responsible,  and  while  there  must  soon  be  an  end  to 
man's  destructive  energy  no  one  can  foretell  when  the  earth  in  this 
volcanic  country  will  finally  cease  its  shaking. 

The  Guatemalans  look  to  us  for  assistance.  The  rebuilding  of  this  city 
must  be  financed  from  the  United  States.  Already  the  work  of  the  Red 
Cross  is  fast  drawing  this  people  closer  to  us  in  the  bonds  of  good  fellow- 
ship, and  we  have  now  an  opportunity  to  cement  this  union  into  a  lasting 
friendship. 


Lithomount 
Pamphlet 

Binder 
Gaylord  Bros. 

Makers 

Stockton,  Calif. 
MT.  JAN  21.  1908 


